Lu Mingye’s speech failed to win anyone over. No one from Flora was particularly happy about that.
Now, it was the Flora forefather’s turn to speak. This was another integral segment to the contest for the alliance’s leadership. If the forefather couldn’t convince everyone, Flora would be entirely out of the race.
Therefore, the Flora forefather was very careful about his choice of words.
His experience showed through in his restraint and composure. He outlined the Flora Sacred Land’s contributions, history, and fundamental advantages in great detail, implying with every word that Flora as their leader would only bring them profit as well as defense against outside enemies.
The forefather’s apparent sincerity was infectious. Flora was very eager to fulfill its ambitions and had a considerable amount of strength to back it up.
Having been one of the strongest sacred lands since time immemorial, it had always been ranked near the top. As such, the Flora forefather won a decent amount of applause.
Jiang Chen’s opinion of the Flora forefather improved markedly after he heard his speech. Before the elder, there had been an indubitable difference between the strength and resources of Eternal and Flora.
However, Jiang Chen didn’t lose confidence.
He was sure that as long as Myriad Abyss was focused on warding off the offworld menace, Eternal would obtain the leadership. No matter what happened, it would be the only choice at the end of the day.
Jiang Chen wasn’t exactly a selfless philanthropist. If Eternal wasn’t in control – if he wasn’t in control, rather – he wouldn’t pour himself into the work with nearly the same degree of abandon.
It was the Eternal forefather’s turn to make a speech.
He chose simple, succinct words to list what Eternal could offer its future allies. At the heart of his discussion was, of course, Jiang Chen.
It was understandable that the forefather would want to emphasize this exceptional, sole advantage. When Jiang Chen was speaking, it had been inconvenient for him to aggrandize himself overmuch.
There was no such reservation when it came to the Eternal forefather, who waxed eloquent about exactly how useful the young genius would be.
What Jiang Chen had said earlier about changing the heavenly axis and hiding the plane’s coordinates was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. These things concerned Divine Abyss Continent’s future survival, which made them automatically paramount in importance.
Because of this, the Eternal forefather’s words cut deeply despite his brevity.
His conciseness radiated a certainty in their victory.
After the forefather’s speech concluded, it was finally time for the critical vote.
“Everyone, the leadership concerns the sake of Myriad Abyss Island as a whole. In fact, it concerns Divine Abyss’s future and fate as a whole. I know you’ve already chosen in your hearts, but no matter who ends up winning, the new leader must always act for the greater good.
“We trust that you will lead our world to new heights. The losing party should not become negligent or difficult either. Let us cooperate with one another in harmony. If this contest for the leadership has damaged our relations, or worse, created divisive cliques, that would be a bane upon us rather than a boon.”
“Yes, we must be perfectly clear about this. My fellow daoists from Eternal and Flora, you must make your attitudes clear.”
“Whether Eternal leads or not, we will prioritize our common interest,” the Eternal forefather chuckled. “The fight for Myriad Abyss’ future is a responsibility for all of us. As long as the leader is fair and impartial, we will support him no matter who it is. There is no reason for us to be divisive.”
“The Flora Sacred Land guarantees that whether we lead or not, we will fight for Myriad Abyss and our common survival.”
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Both parties were uncommonly clear-cut in their declarations.
Every detail was worthy of comparison, including their posturing here. Any hesitation would be looked down upon with scorn for being too narrow-minded. If any sacred land actually became disruptive, it would be cast off and isolated by the others.
“Let’s vote, then. Each sacred land has one vote,” one person suggested.
“How?”
“Let’s do a show of hands.”
“What about ballots?”
This last comment was quickly ignored. Hand-based voting was more direct.
“Those in favor of the Flora Sacred Land, raise your hands!”
The Flora Sacred Land supported itself, of course. Polylore and Void raised their hands as well. Unfortunately for them, no other sacred land did.
Every member of Flora present felt a collective chill in their hearts. The worst had indeed happened. Aside from their two close allies, no other faction supported them.
Waiting a little while didn’t reveal any change of hearts.
“Those in support of the Eternal Sacred Land, raise your hands.”
There was no doubt as to the result of the vote. Sunrise and Radiance had already outspokenly expressed their support.
Even if Nirvana and Immortal remained neutral, Eternal would have five votes to Flora’s three. However, the two remaining sacred lands also raised their hands to back Eternal.
The final result was conclusively, devastatingly one-sided. Seven votes to three!
The Flora Sacred Land’s people were paralyzed by shock. Before coming to Sandplain, they had been utterly assured that they’d win the leadership nomination.
Alas, the actual outcome turned out to be a total embarrassment. Seven to three? They wouldn’t have imagined it in their dreams.
Why hadn’t Flora’s fame and influence won a single faction to its side?
Whose fault was it?
Everyone knew intimately that the deciding factor in Eternal’s favor was neither its own excellence nor the generosity of its forefather. It was Eternal’s fortune in having Jiang Chen!
If Jiang Chen had belonged to Flora, it would’ve won all ten votes!
The Flora forefather looked somewhat bitter, but cupped his fist with poise. “Daoist Eternal, Flora has lost today. However, I cannot congratulate you on anything else but this: Eternal is blessed to have such a legendary genius!”
Many people agreed internally, the Eternal forefather himself being one of them. Without Jiang Chen, Eternal would have had zero hope at leading the alliance.